Conventional airbags having several chambers are usually manufactured out of two cuttings which are sewn along their edge regions and which demonstrate darts to separate the chambers. In some airbags, the respective chambers have the task of protecting individual body areas of an occupant. Because of the different masses of the individual body areas, varying levels of forces may act upon them during an accident. Moreover, certain body areas, such as the rib cage, may require reduced stress levels. One approach is to inflate the chambers at different rates using different gas pressures.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,349,964 suggests aside airbag having an upper chamber assigned to protecting the thorax of the occupant and a lower chamber assigned to protect the pelvis of the occupant with the chambers being separated by a dividing seam. Because of the requirements imposed on the respective chambers in a side impact, it is provided that different gas pressures are used to fill the chambers. Thus in particular, the chamber assigned to the pelvic region is intended to be filled with a higher pressure than that which fills the chamber assigned to the thoracic region of the occupant.
One disadvantage of this conventional arrangement of the side airbag is that the dividing seam may be subjected to high stresses because of the different pressures in the chambers, and thus there exists the possibility of tearing the seam, which may cause some pressure leakage.
The present invention seeks an airbag for a vehicle which may offer advantages over the prior art.